Hi NeighborsI do not know if you have been following the news, but we are now engaged in a fight to preserve the sanctity of our hamlet.URT and Fuel Cell Energy have filed with the Riverhead Town Zoning Board for an expansion of the non-conforming use, to construct a fuel energy cell on URT property just south of Sound Shore Road on property which is currently vacantIt is our position that this is not an expansion of the non-conforming use, but actually a new non-conforming use, as it seeks to construct a fuel energy cell to convert natural gas to electricity, which is not currently a use grandfathered in.Furthermore, pursuant to the petitions filed with the Town Board, 6480 gallons of water per day will be used in the process and 2.25 gallons of waste water will be dispensed into our aquifer PER MINUTE. The waste water will supposedly be treated but no specifics as to the treatment have been disclosed. It is also stated in the filed documents that there will be one ton of solid waste per month which will supposedly be removed on a monthly basis (again with no specifics as to the removal, storage or containment in the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster).Since this fuel cell will operate on natural gas, we have have been told that more natural gas lines will be brought in. Of course, the electric generated will have to get to the Tuthill substation, necessitating construction of overhead high voltage transmission lines, over homes and farms.We will probably not benefit directly from this, as we have been told that the electric generated will not be utilized directly by our areaThe beneficiary will be URT, as one of the byproducts of the process is heated water. This will be utilized to heat URTs oil tanks.Wouldn't it be better for the fuel cell to be constructed adjacent to a school, firehouse or the jail where the hot water could be used for the benefit of the public? Or constructed at EPCAL, which is designated for that purpose?I urge you to go to Fuel Energy Cell's website, fuelcellenergy.com to look at what the proposed 1.4 megawatt fuel energy cell would look like. As stated on that website, it is appropriate for wastewater treatment plants, universities, hospitals and manufacturing, not for residential areas. It is an eyesore, 40' by 60' by 20' high.There are many other serious problems with this proposal, which we will detail to you in later posts.Your Board will be meeting shortly to plan our strategy to oppose this non-conforming use. We need your help and your support. As soon as we meet, we will be reporting to you and urging you to actively join in to preserve Northville Beach. A Zoning Board approval of this non-confirming use will open the door to even more concessions, perhaps a revisiting of the request to bring gasoline and ethynol to URT.We cannot allow this!Please join us and support us.

Your neighborLinda A Prizer

State environmental regulators propose guidance document for living shorelines

The State Department of Environmental Conservation yesterday issued a draft guidance document for the creation of living shorelines in New York’s marine district, which includes Long Island.

“Improving coastal resiliency and reducing risk to communities is a priority of Governor Andrew Cuomo, and this proposed living shorelines guidance encourages smart approaches to protect against shoreline erosion,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a press release announcing the publication of the draft.“Using natural solutions will build a more resilient coastline that will be better able to withstand the impacts of severe weather and coastal storms. Living shorelines can reduce shoreline erosion while maintaining habitats that are critical to our economy and we urge coastal communities and planners to follow these important suggestions,” Seggos said.DEC’s proposed guidance encourages the appropriate use of natural shoreline protection measures in place of hardened or man-made approaches to coastal erosion controls.

County Legislator Al Krupski and his son, Southold Town Trustee Nick Krupski at the site of the county’s demonstration project off Cedar Beach. File photo: Denise Civiletti

The guidance document (see below and it can also be found on the DEC’s website) provides information on different types of living shorelines, explains how tidal wetland and protection of water permit standards relate to living shorelines, and speaks to proper siting, maintenance, and monitoring considerations for these shoreline approaches.Suffolk County embarked upon its first living shorelines demonstration project in Southold this year, planting nearly 200 feet of shoreline with grasses and black ribbed mussels. Citizens and officials interested and affected by the Tidal Wetland Land Use Regulations are encouraged to make comments on this guidance document, the agency said.The guidance document advances the concepts of the Community Risk and Resiliency Act signed by Cuomo in 2014. The statute’s goal is to speed up New York’s adaptation to climate change and create opportunities to use living shorelines as natural buffers to coastal erosion.New York’s proposed guidance is an example of national trends emphasizing the importance and value of natural and nature-based features to reduce flooding and erosion risks. Living shorelines and tidal wetlands areas are invaluable for improving water quality, marine food production, wildlife habitat, flood, hurricane, and storm control.New York State began to recognize the importance of tidal wetland areas and sought to insure their protection from human activities by passing the Tidal Wetland Act in 1973. Tidal wetlands line much of the salt water shoreline, bays, inlets, canals, and estuaries of Long Island, New York City, and Westchester County. These wetlands also line the Hudson River in Westchester and Rockland counties upstream of the salt line.The guidance document will provide communities in these areas a better understanding of what living shorelines are and how to incorporate them within tidal wetland and protection of water regulations (Part 661) with the intention of maintaining the quality of habitats and their storm risk reduction function.Notice of availability for comment will be published in the Environmental Notice Bulletin on Jan. 4, 2017.All comments and questions on this guidance document should be forwarded to: Dawn McReynolds, Bureau of Marine Habitat, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 205 N. Belle Meade Road, E. Setauket, NY 11733 or by email to fw.marine@dec.ny.gov by Feb. 8, 2017. Please reference Living Shoreline Guidance in the subject of the email.DEC Living Shoreline Guidance Document – Draft Dec. 2016 by East End Local Media Corp. on Scribd